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Lyons wants to honor flood victim Gerald Boland, but school name won't change

Residents discuss alternatives for honoring former teacher

By Whitney Bryen

Times-Call community reporter

Posted:
07/21/2014 08:56:47 PM MDT

Updated:
07/21/2014 08:59:39 PM MDT

The entrance to Lyons Elementary School is seen Monday. Members of the town of Lyons and the St. Vrain Valley School Board rejected an online petition to rename Lyons Elementary School for longtime teacher Gerald Boland, who died in the flood of 2013. Suggestions to name a section of the school or location nearby are being considered instead. (Matthew Jonas / Longmont Times-Call)

Lyons residents are hoping to honor longtime teacher and coach Gerald "Gerry" Boland, who died in September after evacuating his home during the flood, but they want to do so without sacrificing town pride.

An online petition to change the name of Lyons Elementary School to Gerald Boland Elementary School began circulating Friday. The petition was written by resident and town trustee LaVern Johnson on behalf of Boland's former students who suggested the idea following the flood.

Despite the 143 online signatures received by Monday morning, the proposal was rejected during a meeting Monday with officials from the town of Lyons, the school board and St. Vrain School District Superintendent Don Haddad, Johnson said.

Gerald Boland (Courtesy photo)

"It was decided that the people of Lyons did not want to lose the reputation that the Lyons Elementary School has earned over the past 130 years," Johnson said.

About a dozen Lyons residents opposed the renaming of the school through posts on a Facebook page, citing tradition.

Kendra Allen, a fourth-generation Lyons resident who has been living in Longmont since her home was damaged in the flood, said she supported honoring Boland but not changing the school's name.

The Lyons Elementary alumnae said her mother was a student of Boland's and her three sons have attended the school. She treasures the school name and the pride that comes with being a Lyons student. She feared that some of the tradition would be lost in the wake of a name change.

"I don't mean any disrespect to the Boland family, but there's this overwhelming feeling that it's not our town anymore, and this seems like just one more thing that isn't going to be Lyons," Allen said. "A lot has changed before the flood and since the flood, and this is just one more thing that wouldn't be the same."

Since dismissing the option to rename the school, a group of residents, including Johnson, are soliciting new suggestions for honoring Boland. So far, suggestions include renaming the school's gym or library, renaming the street in front of the school or dedicating the playground at the school where Boland taught for 30 years.

The group is continuing to collect signatures on the petition at gerald-boland.com to show support for a memorial on or near the school grounds, Johnson said.

The suggestions will be discussed with Boland's family and presented to the school board during the Aug. 13 meeting in Longmont, she said.

A sign dedicated by the class of 1986 in memory of Gerald Boland, who died in last September's flood, is seen in front of his flood-damaged home near Lyons on Monday. (Matthew Jonas / Longmont Times-Call)

Shauna Atkins, a former Lyons resident and student of Boland's, said she is disappointed about the decision not to rename the school.

"It's very sad because this was such a significant person to the community and athletic and school programs," Atkins said. "Even if not the school, something should be dedicated to this great individual."

Boland's daughter Amy Hoh said she does not understand why so many residents opposed renaming the school.

"I feel sad and I don't quite understand why it's not possible," said Hoh, a Longmont resident. "Dad raised us to believe that anything is possible, but then again my dad never did anything for the recognition, award or reward. He just did the right thing."

Naming the elementary school after her father would have been an appropriate remembrance since Boland spent so much of his life at the school and it was the last place that he was seen alive before his body was found a week after he went missing, Hoh said.

Boland's family is grateful that their father and husband will be remembered in some way at the school where he dedicated so much of his time to students, Hoh said. But the family does not need a plaque to remind them of the impact Boland had on his students, she said.

Dozens of Boland's former students and athletes have attended memorial services to show their appreciation. The family has received letters and emails full of positive memories about Boland. And in May, some students from the class of 1986 posted a sign of support in front of his home in Lyons, which is unlivable following the flood and set to be demolished soon, Hoh said.

"It would be really humbling to see his legacy recognized there," Hoh said. "But, regardless of what happens, we know how much his students appreciated what he did for them."

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